The present invention relates to the field of electrical connectors and systems. In particular, the present invention relates to the field of swivel systems which can rotate in a 360.degree. rotation. 2. Description of The Prior Art
Part of the problem which the present invention addresses is that prior art devices utilize rings and springs in their swivel devices such that the springs are forced into contact with the rings in the device. The springs are inside a bayonetted type configuration. One of the disadvantages of the prior art swivel devices is that they are highly mechanical mechanisms and very expensive to produce, and therefore not cost effective. Another disadvantage is that prior art swivel devices provide only one contact surface and therefore failure often occurs during operation.
In other prior art applications, they utilize conventional male and female connectors for making conductivity between the chassis and the cable. The disadvantage in this application is that the connector connected to the cable cannot rotate freely and if the connector is inadvertently rotated, the pins can become loosened and a short circuit often occurs. The connectors are stationary in one direction, which further limits the application. In another prior art application, they utilize radio jacks for a printed circuit board (PCB) mount. This application has the same disadvantage as mentioned above, where the radio jack is connected to the cable in which it cannot rotate freely. In these applications, the blades, the pins, and the prior art swivel devices are more resistant to being pull-out from each other and failure often occurs during operation.
The main purpose for utilizing swivel contact mechanisms is to provide a device for turning around freely in a transverse plane and to prevent failure. Therefore, it is highly desirable to have a very efficient and also very effective design and construction of a 360.degree. connector system which can be incorporated in a communications connector and can also be used in various applications such as a power tool, appliances, computers, extension cords, etc.